2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 8

Sorry for the late post.  Somehow I missed posting this when I got back to Oswego.

No problems on the hills with the truck overheating, so the replacement parts seem to have solved the problem. Too bad I didn't have the 2.7L engine - there was a recall for the overheating problem with that engine. Unfortunately, I had to pay to fix my 3.5L. I probably could have managed towing the 21 with the 2.7L; many folks do, but I decided to go for the bigger engine.

Back in Oswego

We are back in Oswego. Anne & Guido stayed for the night driveway camping. I unpacked what had to go into the house, but plan on doing the rest of the trailer & truck tomorrow. A good trip other than the problem with the truck.  Total mileage for the trailer was 899.9 and another 7 nights sleeping in it.

Our next planned adventure is Bolarama in Canada in July, although it is likely I will visit my brother in the Catskills between now & then.

Dinner was Anne's Honey Barbecued Chicken & mixed vegetables.

Until the next trip.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 7

 We left the KOA around 10:00 and took many state, county, etc roads to Wilmington Notch Campground.

 A different route than I took last time, but we followed Anne's Garmin & mine & hers rarely agree on routing, even if I take mine off RV & set it on auto. In any case, we arrived around 4:30 & set up in sites 28 (the Guidos) and 30 (me). Dry camping on dirt, for $25.25 including a $7.25 reservation fee, but bathrooms with showers (although it is cold enough at 1400' that I doubt any of us will use the showers.

Me in Site 30

The Guidos in Site 28

Dinner was turkey chili provided by Anne.  We ate in my trailer because of the bugs.

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 6

 We hit the KOA breakfast around 9:00, and, like last year, the Guido's order somehow got delayed well past those that ordered after them. Not the most organized grill, but good pancakes, French toast, etc.

After breakfast we walked up to the office to make reservations for next year. If you do the reservations before you leave, you can get the same sites as this year. Since we like the ones we have, why not?

I photographed some of the folks leaving. Most left today, while there are a few that are planning to leave tomorrow (like us) or even later. 

Heading Out

Heading Out

We went to fill up the fuel tanks of the van & truck since the nearest gas station didn't have room for both the tow vehicles & the trailers. The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out. It was warm (high 60's) and sunny most of the day, but did cool off once the sun went down.

Dinner was Anne's shrimp Scampi.

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 5

 While the schedule of KOA events posted in the bathrooms showed breakfast available 8:00 - 10:00, we showed up at 9:00 and no one was in the kitchen. A check at the store determined it was a misprint, but there would be breakfast tomorrow. So, back to the trailer for breakfast. 

Another warmer morning; 57°F at 10:00AM. My weather app states that it will rain today, but not in the next 4 hours. Since we are staying Sunday, and it is suppose to be warm & sunny, I'll leave the plastic rug out and hope it will dry by the time I pack it up Sunday night.

After breakfast it was a couple of hours showing and touring trailers. I got a few photos before the rain started.

Trailer Tours

The rain started as a mist around 3:00 or so and got heavier over the next couple of hours. No downpour, but enough that you didn't want to sit outside. I sat with Anne & Guido in their Clam (they had put a couple of the sides on to block the wind) and after a bit it was cold & damp enough to chase me back to my trailer.

They will be coming over to the trailer to cook & eat dinner, Cheese brats and beans. We were going to grill them, but looks like a stove top meal!

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Page 4

 Warmer than last night (down to 38°F) but 62°F in the trailer with my electric heater. This morning the Sewer Hose Toss was held: The winner was Dick at 50'. By the end, the hose was in shreds, but everyone had a great time!

Sewer Hose Toss

After that I did a walk around the campground and took a bunch of photos.  Rather than try to post them all here (very slow internet today) here is a link to today's webpage.

Still no word on the truck at noon...

Cell data is all over the place. Today AT&T was either slow or dead, while Verizon had no problem posting photos.  Later in the day both were slow.

I did get a campground staff member to hook up a HDMI cable to the TV in the pavilion where I'm doing the photo workshop - hope everything goes smoothly.

The truck was finished around 12:45. $542.00 for the parts & labor. They replaced a hose, sensors & the thermostat. I sure hope it is fixed, but won't know until I'm on the road with the trailer. 

I got back to the campground around 1:40 and went to the pavilion to set up for the workshop. Good attendance & they seemed to enjoy it. It was the first time I was able to have great video support for a campground workshop which helped.

I did another loop around the campground; I think I have covered all of us. I also got a start on the pot luck dinner preparations & will add more later.

 A good time for all at the pot luck & the prizes given out afterward.  A link to the 2023 Spring Fling has lots of photos of the pot luck and more.  

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 3

 Not a lot to post today since I spent most of it at the McDonald Ford dealership in Conway, NH. I arrived at 10:00 and Guido picked me up around 3:00. I can't complain about the wait since they took me in on a day's notice & they are currently booking 2 weeks out. They did a number of sensor tests, etc and finally decided that it needed a new thermostat. Evidently, my problems are covered by a recall, so it may not cost me anything other than worry & time to get it fixed. Of course I won't really know if it is fixed until I'm on my way back to NY since it doesn't overheat without the load of the trailer.

Since the pot luck dinner is tomorrow night, and I'm doing a photography workshop tomorrow afternoon (as well as hopefully picking up my truck), I made the blueberry pies this afternoon & evening. In between pies there was a cheese get together where I took a bunch of photos, but it is already 9:30 so rather than processing them tonight, I'll do them in the morning and add them to the page.

Dinner was the snacks at the cheese get together.

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 2

 I'm getting tired of having "interesting" trips! About half way through today's drive my truck started overheating. It was fine at 55MPH on level ground, but any faster or any hill moved the temperature gauge out of the middle & towards the top. It never hit the red, but I did get a message on a long hill - "Engine power has been reduced due to overheating".

We limped our way to the campground at 55 MPH, even slower on the hills, and when we arrived I called the nearest Ford dealer; have an appointment for tomorrow at 10:00AM to determine the problem.

Other than that, an uneventful drive. We arrived around 3:30 and set up in the sites - Deluxe sites that include a gas grill, glass table with 4 chairs and a couple of loungers as well as a wooden deck overlooking the pond. Of course it is also a deluxe price at $75.00 per night. Anne & Guido are in site 48 & I'm next door in 50, the same sites we had last year. Other than the wooden decks, the sites are full hookup on dirt. Easy access between them.

Me in Site 50

The Guidos in Site 48

I did a speed test on the various internet connections - Verizon at 11.5Mbps down, .4Mbps up and AT&T at 43.3Mbps down & 24.9Mbps up, both with the MIMO antennas connected. The campground has free internet - 1.4Mbps down & 1.6Mbps up. Since I have unlimited AT&T data, I'm going with them.

Spring in New Hampshire is a bit cooler than on the Lake in Oswego. While frost is predicted at home, I live close enough to Lake Ontario that it probably won't happen. Here the prediction is for a freeze with 27°F from one source & 31°F from another. We are going to take a chance and leave the water hoses connected.

Dinner was a salad & burgers.

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 1

 I finished packing the trailer & left around 10:00. I decided to take the Thruway just to see how much is now costs when towing a trailer and to see if they do automatically refill the coffers from my credit card. Won't know until tomorrow since there is at least a day lag.

A bit of a detour getting to the campground because of closed section of road, but I arrived around 2:20. Saved about half an hour taking the Thruway.

For the first time in history, the Guidos beat me to Broken Wheel! Of course they only had 47 miles to drive since they were visiting with their grandchildren in the Albany area.

We are in sites 25 & 26, water & electric sites on grass for $35.00 per night. For those interested, Verizon clocks in at 8.2Mbps down & 1.4Mbps up.

The Guidos in Site 25

Me in Site 26

The Guidos had leftovers, so for me it was an Amy's Enchilada with Rice & Beans dinner.

Until next time.

2023 Trip to the Spring Fling, Page 0

 Sunday, May 14, 2023 - Home, 0 Miles, 0 Miles For The Trip

Once again it is time for a trip to New Hampshire and the Spring Fling, a fiberglass trailer rally at the Chocorua Camping Village KOA. As usual, I will be meeting my friends Anne & Guido on the way, and camp next door to them at the rally.

A bit more to do to get the trailer ready this year since I stayed in Oswego over the winter rather than my usual trip to the southwest. I uncovered the trailer at the beginning of the month, managed to find a couple of dry, warm days to wash & wax the trailer, and made a few minor repairs. I replaces the ANL fuse that Escape provided with a Class T fuse that better protects the inverter, and replaced an intermittent remote for the inverter.

Lots of "other than trailer" projects here at home. My front yard is (well, was) filled with ash trees (19 of them). The Emerald Ash Borer has finally reached Oswego, and over half the trees are dead. I got a couple of estimates, and now they are all gone. Still waiting for the grass to start growing, then I'll plant a couple of fruit trees to replace them. 

No More Ash Trees

I added a raised bed garden next to the rear deck - while the large garden out back is still fenced (barely) it is too large for my current needs and something closer to the house works better. The asparagus is already started, and I'll plant some tomatoes, beans & cucumbers when I get back from the Spring Fling.

Raised Bed Garden

I'm finishing off loading the trailer using my 4 page packing list. There are a number of items I still use that will have to wait until Tuesday morning, and I'll pack the truck on Monday, but other than that I'm ready to go. For those interested is statistics, the starting mileage on the truck is 60,477, will have a bit more when I leave, and the trailer is at 43,123.3 miles. I've slept in the trailer 978 nights.

Until next time.